GANDY Ellen < Back  
Sport Swimming
CGA England   
Gender Women
Born 15 Aug 1991 in Bromley, ENG
Height1.86 m
Weight 60 kg
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Melbourne, VIC, AUS
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Nunawading SC: Melbourne, VIC, AUS
General Interest
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs She likes to listen to music and draw before competition. (britishswimming.co.uk, 06 Apr 2008)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? She tagged along with her brother, who was asked to join a local swimming club.
Name of coach Rohan Taylor [club]
When and where did you begin this sport? She took up the sport at age five at the Beckenham Swimming Club in Kent, England.
International Debut
Year 2007
Competing for Great Britain
Location China
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete, Student
General Interest
Nicknames Elly (Twitter profile, 22 Oct 2013)
Sporting philosophy / motto "Work hard even when things get tough." (sportcentric.com, 25 Jan 2008)
Other information FROM GREAT BRITAIN TO AUSTRALIA
In December 2012 she announced that she intended to switch allegiance and swim for Australia rather than Great Britain. She had originally moved to Australia in 2008 after her father took a job in Melbourne, and had been training with the majority of the Australian swimming squad for close to four years. After consulting with her coach Rohan Taylor, she felt a more balanced lifestyle that included going back to university as well as competing for Australia would benefit her career. "The last five years have been really difficult, especially the travelling. A lot of the time I felt like I was in limbo because I didn't feel Australian, but I didn't really feel British either because I wasn't there all the time." The switch meant she was unable to compete internationally for 12 months, during which time she missed the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. She made her debut for Australia at the 2013 World Cup in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (swimvortex.com, 25 Aug 2013; yahoo.com, 07 Dec 2012; morethanthegames.co.uk, 01 Apr 2010)
Famous relatives Her partner Sam Sheppard is an Australian surf lifesaver. (smh.com.au, 07 Apr 2014)
Further Personal Information
Languages English
Family Partner Sam Sheppard
General Interest
Ambitions To compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (bbc.co.uk, 03 Dec 2012)
Further Personal Information
Higher education Commerce
General Interest
Injuries She underwent surgery on her right shoulder in 2013. (smh.com.au, 31 Jan 2014)